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It all starts with Spencer Reid.
There’s something different about him. Aaron Hotchner knows it from the beginning.
There’s some discussion between himself and Gideon on what it could be. Gideon suspects autism. Hotch figures that’s not far from the mark. Reid presents with many of the classic symptoms – social awkwardness, the inability to make eye contact for too long, the way he rambles about statistics and avoids physical contact – but Hotch doesn’t worry too much about that.
Gideon wants him tested, but Hotch refuses. It doesn’t affect the agent’s abilities in the field, and he’s a gifted profiler. Reid has the potential to be one of the greatest profilers Hotch has ever seen, assuming he’s given the room to grow in his talents. He doesn’t think slamming the kid with a diagnosis is going to help in that. It’s one of the few arguments the two agents have had.
Even with the potential for autism, Hotch knows there’s something else just plain different with Reid.
It’s nothing major. It’s nothing that makes his instincts scream at him – the kid doesn’t have it in him to be an unsub. Hotch saw him damn near wreck his car to avoid hitting a cat.
No, it’s something else.
It’s the way Reid sometimes flinches when they’re out in public, the way he gravitates towards jobs that keep him away from groups of people but has the most stunning success one-on-one. Everyone has their talents, but Reid has empathy that Hotch just doesn’t see too often.
Then there’s the rest.
He’s digging around on his desk, Morgan and Reid waiting for him. It’s one of their first cases as a team, and he can’t find this one damn report that they need to get started. Gideon is waiting for them, and where the hell is that damn supplemental?
Reid takes a step forward and picks up a file Hotch had accidentally buried earlier in the day. He doesn’t say anything, just hands it to Hotch, who says a quiet “Thank you” before they head into the round room to discuss the case.
It isn’t until they’re on the plane that Hotch realizes he never actually asked if either of them saw the file.
It’s really nothing major. It’s nothing Hotch can prove. It doesn’t mean anything, anyway.
Until it happens again.
Reid doesn’t know he’s doing it. Sometimes the kid will just randomly hand his coworkers things that they’re looking for without saying a word or being asked. Occasionally he’ll respond to things that Hotch is only thinking, but he only does that if his back is to Hotch. He does the same thing to the others, randomly makes comments that seem to continue a conversation that they weren’t actually having.
And Hotch wonders.
He doesn’t think much on it. Until things change again.
As the team works together, with every case they take on, Hotch notices it. Reid continues to respond to things Hotch simply can’t hear – until he can.
Until he can hear everything.
He’s not sure when it begins. He’s not sure at what point he realized he could hear Reid across a busy room (not that he understands much, the kid’s mind moves like lightning), but he does remember the first time he realized it wasn’t just Reid he could hear.
It’s a quiet plane ride home. The case wasn’t hard – they’re just tired. Gideon is passed out in the back. Reid has his nose buried in his third book. Hotch can hear the murmur of his mind racing along the pages. He can hear other things too – Morgan mulling over the paperwork he needs to fill out, and JJ texting quietly in front of him, but he knows she’s fielding their next case.
From there it just gets more intense.
By the time Elle leaves, Hotch can clearly hear thoughts and sense emotions of his teammates, including Garcia. He just isn’t sure what to do with that information. How is he supposed to handle it?
He waits one day until the bullpen has cleared out and it’s just him and Reid standing there to ask his question.
“It’s not just us, is it?”
Reid’s eyes snap up to him. Hotch can almost hear the buzz of thoughts through the kid’s head – as well as feel the pressure that he’s come to associate with Reid poking around. Slowly, Reid shakes his head.
“No.”
Hotch nods. “Who else?”
Reid just shrugs and goes back to stuffing files into his messenger back. “Everyone.”
Hotch freezes. “For how long?”
“My whole life.” Reid puts his bag on his lap but refuses to look up at Hotch. He radiates embarrassment and fear, and Hotch doesn’t need to ask why. “I didn’t mean to do anything. I just couldn’t stop it.”
“Reid, it’s okay.” The words are automatic, but Hotch means it. The kid hasn’t done anything wrong. “Just – just be careful, okay?”
And that’s how Hotch becomes the unofficial guardian of his youngest agent. He figures out how to talk to Reid without having to speak, and he uses that ability to warn Reid when he starts slipping up. To his credit, the young agent doesn’t take offense to Hotch’s protectiveness. If anything, he seems to appreciate it. As they go along, as Prentiss joins the team and slowly gets added into the new awareness that Hotch has, he uses this new ability to talk to Reid about things he’s not sure he wants the rest of the team to know.
It’s starting to bother me that I can’t sense Gideon like this. he tells Reid one day as they head out to a case. Reid nods as he examines the case file.
I can’t sense him at all. He’s the only one like that. So far. He offers Hotch a small smile. I haven’t exactly kept a list.
Hotch huffs. Right. With your mind, you wouldn’t need to.
Hey, I do forget things! It happens!
With or without a head injury?
Suddenly Morgan drops down in the seat next to Reid. So I’m not losing my mind. Nice to know.
Hotch pinches his nose and sighs. He’s just grateful that Gideon is sleeping on the other side of the plane. Who else?
Garcia and JJ. Pretty sure Prentiss is picking up on it as well. He puts his finger over the file Reid is pretending to read and pulls it down, mostly just to annoy Reid. Reid jerks it away from him and ducks his head down, pulling away from Morgan. Morgan just shakes his head. Don’t worry about it, Kid. This is pretty cool. I could get used to it.
And, well, that’s how it stays.
Eventually, Prentiss is folded into the group and figures out what’s going on. No one bothers to tell her, but the first time she joins in the unspoken conversations shocks her. Hotch leaves it to the others to explain.
Gideon leaving is a shock. The pressure coming down on him to leave the BAU is almost too much. Learning that Prentiss is planning to leave as well – well, that’s just the icing on the shit cake.
When that entire case is over, he comes home and finds his house empty. He knew it would happen. He doesn’t bother settling in for the night. He just drops off his suitcase, grabs his jacket, and leaves.
Reid finds him at the park. He just sits down next to his boss, his own sweater pulled tight around him. He really does look like a kid dressed like this. Hotch glances over at him. “Gideon left?”
“He left me a note and nothing else.” Reid confirms, and the anger almost burns. “Haley left too.”
“Yeah.” Hotch leans back on the bench, staring up at the sky. “I knew she would.”
“Because you picked us.”
For a moment, Hotch doesn’t respond. “Honestly? Maybe. I don’t know. We’ve been on the rocks for a while now. I think she was hoping I would leave the BAU once Jack was born.” He shrugs. “But I couldn’t.”
Reid sighs and nods. “Do you regret it?”
“Losing Haley? Yes. Staying with my team? No.”
Reid nods again. For a long time, they sit in silence, just staring at the sky and listening to late night DC traffic. For the first time, Hotch uses this new connection to reach out and check on the team. Garcia, JJ, and Prentiss are all together, having a girls night at Prentiss’s apartment with some chick flicks and popcorn. Morgan seems to be waiting at his apartment, content for the moment but mildly worried. He reaches out, hesitant, and Morgan sends him back something that might be affection. Or amusement.
Neither you nor Reid need to be alone right now. When you’re ready, I’ve got some space.
Reid smiles. “It’s nice to be looked after.”
Hotch chuckles. “Yeah. It is.” With a small groan, he stands up. “So – should we find out what Morgan has in store for us?”
Reid grins and stands as well. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
Later, there will be more cases. Later, Hotch will have to confront the new reality of being separated from his wife. Later, he’ll even learn that David Rossi plans on rejoining the team, changing the dynamics yet again – except this time for the better.
For now, though, he just follows Reid to Morgan’s apartment and lets the warmth that is his team keep him safe.